Turn Back Time
by neeeeealll
Summary: Skye comes back to the bus to find that Fitzsimmons, Coulson and May aren't themselves. Can Skye and Ward look after them while trying to return them to normal? Whole team fic.
1. Chapter 1

Skye wander back onto the bus after a weekend away. They had landed in some random place but it happened to have a spa so she was happy. She had tried to convince Simmons and May to join her, but both were busy. Simmons had some sort of conference she couldn't miss with Fitz and May need to oversee repairs to the plane. She didn't even bother asking Ward or Coulson if they wanted to join her. Coulson had paper work to fill out and the spa wasn't really Ward's thing. Ward had dropped her off on his way to whatever he was doing that weekend. Today she had simply got a cab back as she had finished early and didn't feel like hanging around the spa.

The bus was quiet, more so than Skye was expecting. Normally even if people were busy there was still noise, machines clanking and humming. Today it was completely silent. The lab was empty which was unusual but she guessed Fitzsimmons might be upstairs. Heading up that way she was curious to why none of the team had come out to welcome her back. Normally everyone would come and say hello if you had been away for a while.

Walking past the kitchen she still couldn't find anybody. The silence was beginning to worry Skye. It was never like this. She was on her guard when she walked into the living room, even so she still froze in shock at what she found. Shaking her head to clear it she reached for her phone and speed dialled the first number.

"_Ward. Get back here now!"_

* * *

Ward had hurried back to the bus after getting Skye's call. His head was filled with scenarios of what had happened. The team had stayed on the bus so nothing should have happened but Skye's voice sounded worried.

Pulling up beside the bus and hurried inside. As he quickly moved upstairs he noted that there were no signs of a struggle. Reaching the living room he found Skye and what appeared to be a bunch of children.

"_A bunch of children got on the bus?"_

"_Look closer at them Ward. They aren't just any children."_

As he did what she said he grasped what she was talking about. He recognised these children, he knew them as adults. Fitzsimmons were now children of about five and were currently having an argument. May looked about six and was watching the fight with avid interest. But most weirdly of all, Coulson, his boss, was a baby about two. This was weird.

Turning back to Skye he asked,

"_What happened?"_

"_I don't know. I came back and found them like this."_

"_OK. Just keep an eye on them for a minute, I need to make a call."_

* * *

It turned out his call was to Shield, which had caused the director to come out to see what was happening. Skye normally would have been nervous meeting him, but she had her hands full dealing with her teammates. Apparently although they looked like twins and as adults got along extremely well, child Fitzsimmons didn't like each other very much. They were continually fighting, with words more than physically. This kept upsetting Coulson who she was trying to rock to sleep. May just sat there at watch what was happening. She was as hard to read as her usual adult self.

Ward was stood talking with the director, which was fine with Skye. She wanted nothing to do with him. He was scary. Passing Simmons to Ward she balanced both Fitz and Coulson on her hips, trying to sooth both. Ward looked panicked for a second before beginning to imitate her. It settled Simmons quickly and allowed Skye to join the conversation.

"_The video has been wiped so there is no way to know what has happened."_ She spoke.

"_The scientists don't know what has happened either. It is going to take further investigation. Unfortunately that means you have to stay and look after the children. We can't let them loose in the rest of Shield as it will cause panic. That's why I'm enacting protocol delta 249." _ Ordered Fury.

"_Of course Shield has a protocol for this. It has a protocol for everything."_ Skye muttered.

Ward shot her a warning look before asking,

"_What does that entail sir?"_

"_You will be set up in a house where you can look after them. Other members will check in with you from time to time. Oh and you will have to pretend they are your kids and you are a couple. Only outside the house of course." _

All Skye could do was blink. She had to pretend to be a couple with Ward? Oh this was going to end badly.

* * *

The house they had been given was nice, very simple apart from the fact it only had three bedrooms. It was decided that Coulson, Skye was going to have to start calling him Phil, should sleep in a cot with the adults. May and Jemma were going to share a room, with Fitz having the other room. Ward was going to sleep in the living room as Fitz's room wasn't big enough for two but Skye had put her foot down. There was no way he was leaving her to look after the baby. He was sleeping in here with her. They were both adults.

"_Skye I have no idea how to look after kids, never mind a baby."_

She could hear the panic in his voice and felt for him. He had never had a normal childhood.

"_Don't worry we'll do it together. I'm not an expert you know. All we have to do is bathe them, fed them and stop them killing each other when they are bored."_

He didn't look convinced. To be honest neither was she. Normally she would leave Leo and Jemma together but now if left alone for two minutes they were fighting. Her boss was a baby. May she couldn't read. They really needed to wash them and put them to bed.

Oh god! She has going to see her teammates naked! She was never going to be able to look at them again!

"_Come on tonight we'll do it together."_ She grabbed Phil and headed to the bathroom, leaving Ward to follow behind her.

* * *

Well this was a disaster. Water was all over the bathroom. Ward was covered in more bubbles than had ever ended up in the bath. He looked slightly stunned by it all. It was very cute. He was currently putting Phil into his PJs while trying not to wake him up. He had fallen asleep while in the bath.

Leo was currently playing with some of the toys Shield had brought along with the clothes. May was playing with him, liking the superhero toys. Her favourite appeared to be Thor. Which left Skye having to deal with Jemma. She didn't want to wear the PJs Skye was holding but they had no other ones. They only had a small collection of clothes, as Shield didn't deal with children very often. The first task tomorrow was to go buy more, something Skye wasn't looking forward to.

"_I know Sweetie but I don't have any with puppies on. I only have these rabbit ones. Can you just wear these today until I can get you some new ones?" _Skye pleaded. She wanted to get them all to bed. She needed time to process what had happened and how they were going to cope.

Eventually Jemma gave in but only if she could pick her new clothes tomorrow. Handing Leo to Ward she gathered Jemma and May and led them to their room. Hopefully they would go to sleep quickly!

* * *

Ward had got both Phil and Leo to sleep relatively quickly which surprised him. He had a strange feeling holding the baby. Like he had missed out on something. Shaking his head he continued moving around the kitchen, preparing a small meal for him and Skye. They hadn't had time to eat anything earlier and he had a feeling they were going to need all the energy they could get to look after the kids.

Spying a bottle of wine on the counter he headed over to it. That would also help. Seeing the note attached to it he read it.

**Thought you might need this. Help will be along soon. Fury.**

Fury had left them wine?

He wasn't going to complain. He opened the bottle and began searching for glasses. He had a feeling Skye was going to need a drink. She had a much tougher time getting the girls to sleep; she was still up there with them.

He had to say he was glad Skye was with him. He didn't think he could cope without her. He had no idea how to deal with kids, but she just took it all in her stride. He had to admit he was curious how she would have looked as child. Adorable he bet, she would have him wrapped around her little finger. She already did really.

"_Finally." _She said coming down the stairs.

"_Here have some food. Also I thought you might like this as well. Fury left it for us." _He handed her a huge glass of wine before picking up his.

"_Oh thank god. I think this may kill me, Grant."_

She only used his first name when she was worried. Moving towards her he pulled her into a hug.

"_Hey like you said we'll do this together. You are doing fantastically. Without you I'd be a mess."_

She nodded against his shoulder before moving to sit down at the breakfast bar. As they began to eat Ward couldn't help but think that so far they had had it easy. Tomorrow would be the real test. He hoped Fury's help would come soon, he had a feeling they would need it.

* * *

So here you go. If anybody has anything that the kids or Skye and Ward should do let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

Skye woke to crying coming from all directions. Sitting up she saw that Ward had also woken up and was looking around for the source of the noise. Phil was sitting in his cradle at the bottom of their bed crying, with May stood staring into the cot beside him. Noises down the hall way indicated that the other two were also awake.

"_I'll get the older lot dressed. You take Phil and get him dressed, then start breakfast."_ Skye sighed.

Ward nodded his agreement before getting out of bed and heading over to the cot. Skye took a moment to appreciate the sight of her SO. He was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. She knew she should be moving, the noise from the corridor was getting louder, but she couldn't help watch, if just for a moment. A sudden squeal reminded her of what she should be doing.

"_Come on Mel, let's get dressed."_

She grabbed the young girls hand and led her from the room. Now to find out what the other two were up to.

* * *

Half an hour later everyone was dressed and downstairs. Breakfast was a mucky affair with Skye watching the three older ones while Ward tried to feed Phil and stop him crying. Although initially uncomfortable holding the baby he was now rocking him like a pro, all while trying to feed himself breakfast. Unfortunately even though he had been fed Phil wasn't happy. Ward had sacrificed his phone to get a little peace. Phil was currently drooling all over it, laughing as he found that he could make it play tunes.

"_So what is the plan for after breakfast?" _Ward questioned.

"_Well everyone needs more clothes and we could do with more food and toys for the kids so I guess it's shopping."_ Skye replied while wiping cereal from Leo's face.

"_OK. Everyone go and clean your teeth. I'll be checking that you have done it."_

She watched as Mel took Jemma's hand and they raced upstairs, it appeared she had decided that Jemma needed her protection. Leo followed up after them still trying to beat them up the stairs. It was still weird to Skye that Leo and Jemma didn't like each other but she would just have to get used to it. Calling May Mel was another example of something she was going to have to get her head around.

"_Before you go I have something for you." _Spoke Ward, reaching into his pocket. With Phil busy playing he turned his full attention on her.

"_I'm sorry you are going to have to wear them all the time until we get everything solved here. I got to pick them though so I hope you like them. I tried to pick something that you would like."_ He continued nervously.

Whatever he had he was really concerned about whether she would like them, which was kind of sweet. From his pocket he pulled out a small box that he handed to her. Opening it careful she saw two rings sitting in the box. The first was a plain platinum ring, slender and simple, that was clearly a wedding ring. Next to it was another platinum ring, but this one also contained diamonds. In the centre was a square cut diamond, with was then surrounded by smaller diamonds in another square shape. Diamonds also were mounted halfway down the band. It was beautiful. They both were.

"_If you don't like it you can always change it." _Ward continued nervously when she didn't say anything.

"_Shhhh. I love them. They are beautiful thank you." _She replied, leaning and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "_Can I see yours?"_

He held out his hand, showing a simple platinum band like the one in the box, only this one was slightly thicker. It suited him.

"_May I?" _He asked reaching for the box in front of her.

Nodding, she watched as he removed both rings from the box before reaching for her hand. It didn't escape her notice that his hand was trembling slightly as he did this. Gently he slide both rings onto her fingers, before raising her hand to his lips, pressing a gently kiss to it.

"_Arghhhhhhhhh"_ Came the cry from upstairs before Skye could think of anything to reply.

Smiling slightly Ward gently lowered her hand back to the table and stood up.

"_I'll go and find out what happened. It's my turn to deal with them, you sorted them this morning."_

With that he left the room leaving Skye to gaze at her hand as if she had never seen it before. The rings fit her perfectly and looked like they were meant to sit there. Skye had a feeling that looking after the children might not be her biggest problem with this mission.

* * *

It had been decided that as it was their first outing with the children, they would keep it simple by only going to one shop. Once they had got used to the children and their personalities again then maybe they would go to more shops. They had all piled into the SUV Shield had provided and headed for the nearest store.

Before leaving the house Skye and Ward had agreed that they would both be responsible for two children. He had been left in charge of Phil and Leo, while Skye took care of Mel and Jemma. The girls had gone off to get clothes and toys for all of them, leaving the boys to take care of food. He was worried about the gleam in Skye's eyes when she had announced this. He had a feeling he was going to get clothes in lots of colours that he would never wear again. But if it made her happy why should he complain.

He had quickly loaded Phil into the baby seat of the trolley and took a firm hold of Leo's hand. Leo had been gazing around in awe at the store leaving Ward wondering if he had ever been in anywhere as big as this before. He seemed to have a desire to wander off to look at everything so Ward deemed it a good idea to keep a hold of him. Leo could wander off as an adult, who knows how bad he would be as a child.

Wandering up and down he allowed Leo to pick more food than he normally would. It was adorable to watch how excited he was looking at all the different food. It had occurred to him that Leo wouldn't have seen much of this food before; food in the USA was totally different to Scotland. He had to remember that this Leo now had different experiences to the adult Leo that he knew.

Turning to pick some cereal he let go of Leo's hand. Turning back to ask if there was any other other cereal he wanted Ward was greeted him an empty isle. Leo was nowhere in sight, with only Phil sat giggling in the trolley. Sighing, Ward quickly dropped the cereal in the trolley before turning to go and track down Leo. He couldn't tell Skye that he had lost one of their children!

* * *

Skye was having problems of her own. Clothing had quickly been picked for everyone; with plenty of clothes selected so they should all have enough to wear. Jemma was happy, as she had got the PJs she wanted and Mel had chosen another superhero toy. She had simply turned away for one second to pick up a game system that she thought the kids and Ward would like. Turning back she found that both girls had gone.

"_Mel? Jemma?"_ She called, looking around frantically. She couldn't believe she had lost them. They hadn't even been with her a day and she had lost them. Not just one, but two of them. She quickly began looking up and down with no sign of them anywhere. Just as she got to the edge of the clothing area she bumped into Ward. He looked as flustered as she felt and clearly only had Phil with him. At least she wasn't the only one to loose the kids. He had one held down and had still lost one. That made her feel a little better. Maybe he wasn't good at everything.

"_Lost them?" _He spoke when seeing her. Nodding her head she began looking up and down with him trying to locate them.

"_Can I help you?"_ Inquired a friendly looking member of staff who had noticed their panic.

"_We've lost three of our children."_ Skye spoke, still scanning the area. She didn't know what else to call them without blowing any cover they have. So she suddenly had given birth to four kids, apparently she was a very young mum!

"_Don't worry we'll find them. I'll put a call out for them." _Reassure the staff member.

A sudden bang had Skye looking at Ward. He clearly had had the same thought. They both quickly headed towards the sounds of the commotion. Skidding to a stop they both took in the sight of the three missing kids. Leo was currently eating his way through a chocolate bunny that was almost as big as he was. He was going to go into sugar shock later, Skye noted absently. May had found a martial art simulator, which she was currently kicking the life out of. Skye saw that she had already managed to pass the high score by quite a bit. Jemma was sat on the floor by the simulator holding a small chemistry set. That would be the cause of the bang.

Skye quickly removed the chemistry set from Jemma before she could cause more damage. Picking her up she placed her in the trolley, which seemed to be the safest place to prevent them running away. She saw Ward had the same idea as he carried Leo and May, with one under each arm. After he had deposited them both in the trolley he turned to Skye,

"_I believe it is time for us to leave."_

"_Definitely. Please tell me you got more wine?"_

"_It's the final thing I need to get. Don't worry I'm getting plenty."_

Skye smiled at the response and they quickly left the area, pretending they had no idea what had happened. Removing the hankie from Ward's pocket she removed the remains of the bunny from Leo's hands and wiped away the remaining evidence of their escape from his face as they walked towards the checkout. How could a simple shopping trip have gone so badly?

* * *

So thank you for all your reviews and ideas. I will hopefully add some more in future chapters. The next one will see Skye and Ward getting some of the help that Fury promised.


	3. Chapter 3

Ward couldn't believe how hyper one child could become. Yesterday had been like a horror story. Having eaten his weight in chocolate Fitz had ran around like a lunatic for the rest of the day, upsetting the other kids before crashing at 8 o'clock. The other two had taken ages to settle so it had meant very little sleep for him or Skye. He had left her sleeping peacefully in the bed with Phil still sleeping. Just because he was awake early, it didn't mean she should be. He had moved downstairs and begun to tidy up and prepare for the kids waking. Setting up the coffee machine he moved towards the living room where toys were covering practically every surface. Knowing that he would regret it later if he didn't tidy up now, he began to move the toys into the boxes stacked in the living room.

Once the room was tidied he looked around trying to find any other jobs that needed doing before the kids got up. His eyes fell on the Wii that Skye had bought for the kids. While it was quiet it seemed like a good time to do it. That was how Skye found him. He had plugged everything in and was now sat playing on the machine.

"_I was just setting it up." _He began to explain as she stood smiling at him.

"_I got it for all of us. Besides I thought you might like to play on it as well. It's something else I can kick your ass at." _She grinned at him.

"_Thank you for letting me sleep in."_

"_No problem. I thought you deserved it. The coffee should be ready by now. Kids still asleep?"_

She nodded as she headed for the kitchen. He paused the game with some regret, before heading into the kitchen where she had poured a cup of coffee for him. He was beginning to look forward to these times, when it was just him and Skye. It was a time of quiet and peace before the children burst into it like a rocket. They hadn't been taking care of them that long and Ward was ready for them to return to their adult selves. He had never thought about looking after children before and he had just now realised how much work it was. He was glad Skye knew what she was doing.

A quiet knock at the door had him leaving the kitchen. It was only 8 in the morning, who would be knocking at this time?

* * *

Skye had woken up, finding herself alone in the bed. Glancing at the clock she saw it was just before 8. Leaving Phil sleeping peacefully she had snuck downstairs to find Ward while it was still quiet.

She couldn't help but smile as she remembered how she had found him. She knew he would love the games. She wanted him to be able to have fun, plus it was something that all the kids can do together. The knock at the door had her frowning. They weren't expecting anybody. She wouldn't be sitting here in PJs if they were. She could hear Ward talking to who ever was at the door. Hearing the door shut she looked up to find Ward leading in a man who looked vaguely familiar.

"_Skye this is Dr Bruce Banner. He is part of Fury's help and is here to try and find out what is happening with the rest of the team. Bruce, this is Skye."_

Bruce Banner? This was the Hulk? He seemed so nice and normal. Also Ward was talking about him as if he knew him. When did he meet the Hulk? Skye smiled at the man and shook his hand. Before she could say anything a sudden cry came from the child radio on the counter. Apparently Phil had woken up, which meant that the others would be up soon. Waving for Ward to sit down Skye headed upstairs to pick up the baby. It gave her a chance to escape and put on some clothes. She wasn't bothered by Ward seeing her in her tank top and shorts but was less comfortable with others seeing her in it.

* * *

Having got all the kids up and dressed Skye came down to find out why Bruce had been sent to them. As the kids were eating she was informed that Bruce was to help out with the kids for a while, enabling Skye and Ward to have an occasional break from the kids. He was also helping to find out what actually happened to the team. This would start with some blood tests, but first they needed to get them to sit still.

While Bruce went to go get his equipment Skye took the opportunity to ask Ward something that had been on her mind since the arrival of the help.

"_Have you met him before? Bruce, I mean."_

"_Yeah. Coulson put me in touch with him after the incident with the Asgardian staff. Bruce has experience with anger management. Coulson thought it might help for me to talk to someone who knew what I was going through."_

Skye reached out and squeezed his hand. She knew it had been tough on him after the incident but she had never realised how bad it had been for him. She wished she had been able to help more.

It had been decided the easiest way to take the samples of blood was to let them watch a movie before taking them one at a time, with Skye sitting with them while the sample was taken.

Surprisingly it had all gone well and was done with a minimum amount of crying. Ward had now been dragged into playing on the Wii with them all. They had teamed up with the boys on one team and the girls on the other. Skye watched with amusement. The girls were currently beating the boys at Mario Party. There were lots of accusations of cheating from both teams, but both appeared to be having a ball. It was adorable to watch. She loved her team dearly but seeing them as kids had made her love them even more. Ward was clearly enjoying the game. Watching him be carefree was a fantastic sight. She wished she had her phone so she could record it for future reference. He was now bouncing Phil while playing the game, making the little boy gurgle in delight.

"_He's very good with the kids isn't he?"_ Bruce noted from his seat beside her.

"_He doesn't think he is but yeah."_

"_It's nice to actually see him interact with the team. He was afraid that he had ruined the relationships for ever after his outbursts."_

"_What? We knew he wasn't himself."_

"_I know. So does he. But he has never had any relationships that are like this. He is afraid to lose them. He was especially concerned about what he yelled at you. He felt like he had broken the relationship between you."_

"_I knew he wasn't himself. I never blamed him."_

"_I know that. So does he, but he knew he had hurt you before with something. He didn't want to hurt you again."_

"_It did a bit but I don't hold it against him."_

The giggling had increased from the children causing her to glance over at them. The game had been abandoned with all of the children pilling on top of Ward. Everyone was laughing and a tickle game had begun. Skye grinned as she watched Bruce pull out of his phone and take photos of the group.

"_This definitely needs documenting." _Bruce smirked.

* * *

Sorry for the slow update on this. I haven't been very well so unfortunately haven't been able to write. Thank you to Amaya who has read through this. Also thank you to everyone had left reviews. Any mistakes left are mine, sorry. Next time another person will turn up to help and the kids will get to play outside.


	4. Chapter 4

Having overseen the pile-on contest Skye decided it was time for an activity that didn't require someone getting squished. As it was raining it wasn't possible for the kids to go and play outside so it had to be an indoor activity. Gathering two plastic sheets she placed one under the table and one on top. Having ensured that as much of the area was covered as was possible she then dug out some paint and pictures that she had bought yesterday. It was something they could do as a group and would keep them occupied for a little while. Phil was still a bit young to be painting but Bruce agreed to hold him while he covered himself and the surrounding area in paint. May was happily painting a bunch of flowers with great care, while Simmons had found a picture of the TARDIS to paint. Fitz had chosen an image with lots of machines that he was currently painting in every colour possible. Ward simply looked relieved to have escaped having to help with the painting. Five minutes had passed and already there was more paint on the table than on any of the pictures. Skye simply rolled her eyes at the sight, glad she had taken precautions.

She followed Ward into the kitchen where he was beginning to prepare for the dinner. They were going to have spaghetti bolognese, which would cause a mess in itself. Although she had little experience in cooking she knew she could help by chopping up some of the ingredients for him. Plus if she was here then she was less likely to see the mess occurring in the other room. The recipe was relatively simple and Skye had the easy task of chopping mushrooms and opening a bottle of wine. Some was to go in the sauce but the rest was for the adults as a reward for not killing the children or allowing them to kill one another.

Glancing back into the dinning room, she could clearly see Fitz and Simmons having another fight. Jemma was using the colour that Leo wanted so he had taken the blue away from her. This had quickly escalated into them painting each other with different colours, ignoring their paintings. Bruce was too busy trying to stop Phil painting May's hair to stop the other two. She was just about to step into the room to sort it out when a pair of arms encircled her waist. By preventing her moving Ward had pulled her against his chest. Tilting his head he whispered in her ear:

"_Just leave them. They're happy. We are going to have to bath them later. We might as well do them all at the same time."_

Skye nodded in agreement. He was still gently holding her waist and it was starting to become distracting. She was only wearing a thin shirt so could feel the heat coming of his body from behind her.

Rap tap.

The noise on the kitchen window caused them both to break apart.

"_I'll go see what that was." _She muttered awkwardly.

Moving to the kitchen door she was startled by the person standing there. Looking around the back garden she quickly saw how he had managed to get over the fence and into the back garden.

"_You couldn't use the front door like a normal person." _She commented as she moved back to allow him into the house.

"_Of course not. That would be boring. It's nice to meet you Skye. You're much prettier than I expected."_

"_Thanks I think. Oh, this is Grant Ward."_

"_Ah yes I've heard a lot about you Agent Ward." _

"_Ok. Nice to meet you. Skye, do you want to tell me how you know Tony Stark?" _Asked Ward looking puzzled

"_I may have hacked into Stark Industries and changed some settings on JARVIS. Tony tracked it back to me and we started talking."_

Ward just looked at her before rolling his eyes.

"_Oh yeah and she told me all sorts of interesting information. Especially about you, Robot."_ Stark commented.

Skye felt herself blush slightly at the tone in Tony's voice. She may have talked about her SO more than she had initially thought. Apparently Tony had picked up on that.

"_Anyway, back to serious matters. I'm here because I've finally managed to retrieve some of the wiped video, which I thought you might like to see. How about you extract the rage machine and we can all talk together?"_

Ward moved into the dinning room and signalled for Bruce to join them. They left Leo and Jemma still having a paint fight and May finishing her picture. Bruce left Phil in his highchair, asking May to keep an eye on him.

Ignoring greetings to Bruce, Tony quickly flipped open the laptop he had carried with him. Pulling up the footage from the Bus it was quickly apparent that not all of it was there. However, it was possible for them to find out what happened to the team. Everything was normal until a gas could be seen entering the aircraft. It reached May first causing her to pass out. Fitzsimmons were hit next, before it reached Coulson. After that the video went blank.

"_I couldn't retrieve anymore video. But I would guess that the gas has caused the change in your team." _Explained Tony. "_May got the biggest dose so reduced in age the most, though because she was older she now appears as the oldest child. Fitzsimmons got the same dose, which was a smaller amount than May so didn't reduce in age as much."_

"_What about Coulson then?" _Skye interjected, seeing the flaw in the explanation.

"_I'm just guessing but I think it could be that whatever was used to de-age them reacted badly with the alien substance in his blood. That caused him to become much younger than the others."_

"_OK. So where do we go from here?"_

"_Well as Bruce has the blood samples we can see if there is anything left in their blood. Otherwise it's just more research."_

Skye wished there was more they could do. She knew her teammates weren't in pain but it was still hard to see them like this. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ward looking at her concerned. She managed a small smile before turning back to Tony.

"_OK. I'll take Bruce and we'll get started running the blood. Besides it's probably about time to tidy up those kids and I don't deal with messy kids."_

With a cheeky grin he quickly left the house, dragging Bruce along with him.

"_So time to wash the little monsters then?" _Skye grinned at Ward.

* * *

It took nearly an hour to get them clean. Skye had taken Jemma and May into her room to use the shower while Ward took the boys. Jemma was covered head to toe in paint so had to be carried from the room to stop her spreading paint everywhere. May fortunately only had paint in her hair from Phil grabbing her so was easier to sort. While May was in the shower, Skye stripped Jemma of her clothes. It was debatable whether it was worth washing them or whether they should just be thrown away. Once May had finished Skye lifted Jemma into the shower and made sure it was on the young girl fully. The paint had soaked through her clothes and onto her skin. In the end Skye simply got in the shower with her to ensure all the paint was cleared away.

Having got both girls clean and dried Skye was exhausted. Sending them downstairs to wait for tea, she quickly considered herself. She was soaking wet, having got in the shower with Jemma without removing her clothes. That was the first thing she had to do. Then she would check on the boys.

Dressing quickly, as she knew she couldn't leave the girls alone for too long, she was greeted by Ward entering the room.

"_You got wet as well then?" _He asked.

"_Yep. I had to get in the shower with Jemma. How about you?"_

"_Phil decided he wanted to splash everyone and Leo joined in. Unfortunately as I was making sure Phil was alright they ganged up on me and covered me in water."_

Skye laughed at the image that presented. She could just imagine the look on his face when that happened. They had done a good job of soaking him; his white t-shirt was going see-through, sticking to his chest. Shaking her head, Skye quickly headed to the door to give him time to change out of his wet clothes. He was distracting enough normally, but when his t-shirt was like that he managed to make her mind completely wander. She couldn't afford for that to happen, not with four mischief-makers left to their own devices downstairs.

* * *

Thank you once again to Amaya for reading this. Also thank you for all your reviews and comments. I am feeling slightly better now Next time we will see a discussion on what the kids should call Skye and Ward.


	5. Chapter 5

Ward dodged a flying spoon as once again Phil threw it at his head. He was sat in his high-chair eating cereal. Or rather not eating cereal and just throwing his spoon at Ward. It appeared to be part of a game and Ward couldn't help but smile as it was making the little boy smile and giggle. It wasn't hurting him to play along with him and it was making him happy. He never thought he could make his boss smile simply by dodging a flying spoon. But then again he never expected him to be turned into a baby. He still found it very strange.

"_No more Phil." _ He instructed the giggling boy as he once again handed the spoon back to him.

This time he wasn't going to turn his back on him. He had been trying to prepare breakfast for everyone else while Skye got them dressed but that wasn't going well. He would just have to wait till everyone was downstairs. By the noise that was being made it wouldn't be long before they were down here. As he watched he saw Phil lean to one side and drop the spoon on the floor. Grinning he pointed at the spoon while looking at Ward.

"_Daddy!"_ Exclaimed Phil.

'Wait what? Daddy? DADDY?

Did he just call me daddy? I'm not his daddy. I can't have my boss calling me daddy. I could never be a daddy. Help.'

While he was having a small breakdown the rest of the group had come downstairs. They had found him staring at Phil, while Phil was still giggling at pointing at the spoon. Skye bent down and picked up the spoon for Phil and got the others sat down. Looking at Ward she saw he had completely frozen. When he didn't reply to her she gave the kids their breakfast before turning back to him.

"_Grant?"_

When he still didn't reply she gently touched his face. Focusing in on her she could see the wild panic in his eyes.

"_He called me Daddy." _He muttered.

That explained the look of shock. It was strange enough seeing the team members as children, but to have them call you daddy she could understand the shock.

"_Well you are. You're mummy, he's daddy," _ came the voice of Jemma from where she sat eating cereal. Glancing over at them she saw both Leo and Mel nodding in agreement.

"_Do you not want us to call you that?" _Questioned Leo, his bottom lips trembling as he looked at her.

"_No if you want to call us that sweetie then it is fine. It just took us by surprise that's all," _reassured Skye.

"_We do,"_ said May.

"_Ok then. Let's just keep eating breakfast then."_

She grabbed Ward's hand and led him to sit down. She could tell he was still in shock, but she would deal with it once the children had finished. Beside, he probably needed to work his way through his thoughts on his own.

Once the kids had finished their breakfast she sent them off to play so she could talk to Ward without them overhearing. Removing Phil from his high chair she sat him on her knee as she began to clean his face. Phil was quite happy playing with Skye's bracelets, so it was the perfect time to talk to him. Touching his hand she waited for him to speak.

"_It just took me by surprise. Why would they want to call me dad?"_

"_Because you're a good person and you're looking after them."_

"_What if I mess it up? What if I mess them up?"_

"_How could you? You won't hurt them, you are trying to stop them being hurt. You care about them, don't you?"_

"_Of course I do."_

"_Then that is all that matters. Neither of us are experts at this. All we can do is look after them and keep them happy."_

He looked at her for a long moment before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"_Thank you." _

"_Anytime Grant. I'm scared as well, but if we stick together we will get through this."_

"_Daddy!"_ Squealed Phil, breaking the moment.

"_I think we have a favourite," _grinned Skye.

Laughing, Ward reached for Phil and gently began tossing him in the air.

"_Of course we do. I'm the one that keeps feeding this monster."_

Skye watched as he continued playing with the little boy, making him chortle in delight. She knew he was only worried because of his childhood. But really he had nothing to worry about. He was good with the kids. It was sweet to watch.

* * *

They had decided to take them all to the park. It got the kids out of the house for a bit and let them run off some of the energy they had. While they were doing that the adults could have a break, while still keeping an eye on them. They sat with Phil on the swings while the others ran off to play. Mel and Jemma went to play on the slide and climbing frame while Fitz went to play in the sandpit.

He was carefully crafting an intricate castle in the sand when a boot suddenly broke it. Looking up at an older boy Fitz objected.

"_Hey. I made that."_

"_So? Where are all your friends loser?"_

"_Why does it matter?"_

"_I bet you don't have any friends. I mean who would want to be friends with you? You're a loser with no friends."_

"_I have friends."_

"_Where are they then?"_

"_Behind you," _came a familiar voice to Fitz.

"_Mel!"_

"_Leave him alone."_

"_Or what?"_

Mel didn't bother replying; instead she hit the bully straight in the chest sending him falling into the sand. The bully quickly stood up again and charged at her. She simply stepped to one side grabbing his arm when he got near her and flipped him onto the ground. Leaving the bully spitting out sand she motioned to Leo.

"_Come and play with us."_

"_I didn't think you liked me."_

"_We like you even though you're a boy, Leo," _answered Jemma. "_Now come and play."_

Skye glanced at Ward as she watched the trio playing on the slide.

"_You saw that right?"_

"_You mean where May flipped the other kid. Yeah, I did."_

"_Glad it wasn't just me. Should we do something about it?"_

"_What can we do? Anyway, the kid deserved it. He tried to attack her."_

"_You sound a bit proud there Ward."_

"_Just a little bit. At least we don't have to worry about them getting bullied."_

"_True. Also they are all friends now."_

"_Yeah. Why do I get the feeling that is going to be a bad thing for us?"_

"_Because they will probably gang up on us and cause mischief. You thought before was hard."_

* * *

So they are all friends now. Do you think things are going to get more difficult for Skye and Ward? Next time night time problems.


	6. Chapter 6

Screaming filled the air again. Apparently it was going to be the night for it. Ward watched as Skye headed upstairs to find out what the problem was. They had agreed to take it in turns whenever one of the children needed them and as he had got up last time it was her turn. Both of them had been up and down tonight as all of the kids had found it difficult to settle. This time it sounded like Phil as the crying had echoed down the stairs and from the baby monitor.

They had been trying to watch TV just to relax and have some child-free time. It hadn't really happened and he had no idea what was actually happening in what ever they were watching. He thought it might be Hawaii 5-0 but wasn't sure as Skye picked it. If he had seen more he probably would have liked it. But he had seen more of the adverts than he had of the programme. It seemed like every time the programme had restarted one of the children would start crying. By the time he had got them settled again and got back downstairs the adverts would be one. Then the cycle would begin again.

He wasn't that bothered about watching the programme; it would have been nice to understand what was going on. He just liked spending time with Skye. Even in this crazy situation she remained bubbly and could make him laugh. He had always enjoyed spending time with her, on the bus he could frequently be persuaded by her to play games such as battleship. With everything going on it was nice to have some normalcy, unfortunately it kept being shattered by the children. He couldn't really complain but he missed the peace and quite.

It was terrifying having to look after the children. He was constantly scared of doing something wrong or letting them hurt themselves. On a mission he knew what he needed to do, and what dangers to look out for to keep the team safe. But with them as children he was totally out of his depth. Skye said he was doing well but he didn't want to let the team down. Eventually they would be turned back to adults and he didn't want them to have complaints about how they were treated if they remembered this time. He had never planned to be a father; his line of work didn't really lend itself to relationships. Constantly being on the move and having to lie about your work didn't lead to trusting relationships. After his childhood he had considered never having children but he was surprised by how he had felt after Phil had called him Daddy. After the initial shock had gone he realised he liked it. He never thought of having children before, it was something he was adamant he wasn't doing. But now looking after the team he could understand why people did it. Yes it was hard but he now understood why it might be worth it. Maybe if he had the opportunity in the future he would choose to have children in the future instead of a total refusal.

Though looking after the team maybe enough for him. Skye came downstairs carrying a screaming Phil. She looked absolutely shattered. Rocking Phil gently trying to calm him she spoke,

"_I can't get him to settle. I brought him down here so he didn't wake the others."_

"_Do you want me to take him for a bit?"_

"_Sure. I'm going to warm some milk. It might help him calm down."_

Ward took the crying little boy in his arms and watched as Skye headed into the kitchen. He started to rock the little boy in his arms. His crying slowed slightly but something was clearly upsetting him.

"_Hush. It's ok, Phil. I'm here. Shush. It's alright."_

Shifting Phil in his arms so he was supported in just one arm, Ward took the beaker of warm milk from Skye and began feeding it to Phil. He drank some of it before continuing to cry again. Looking at Skye helplessly he had another idea. Moving to the table he grabbed his car keys. Looking at him in confusion Skye asked,

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Taking him out for a drive. It might settle him down."_

"_Good idea."_

"_You go on up to bed. One of us might as well get some sleep."_

"_Ok. Thank you, Grant. If he is still upset when we get back wake me up."_

"_Sleep well."_

He watched as Skye made her way upstairs before grabbing his house keys and heading out to the car. Maybe the motion of the car would send Phil to sleep.

* * *

Skye woke again when Ward came back in and she could hear that Phil was still crying. It was quieter than before. She was expecting him to come upstairs but he never did. One moment she was thinking about going down to help him then the next thing she knew she was waking up again. It was clearly the middle of the night as everything was pitch black. Breathing beside her ear told her that Ward was now in bed.

Glancing at the crib she found it was empty. 'Where was Phil?' She wondered. Sitting up she looked at Ward. He wouldn't have come to bed without putting Phil down to sleep. She couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Lying beside her was Ward, fast asleep. He was in the jogging bottoms he had been wearing to bed but without the usual top he wore with them. He was bare chested, lying flat on his back with Phil lying on his chest. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen. She guessed that Phil had been sick on Ward due to the removal of his shirt and the changing of Phil's clothes. She knew Ward always wore jogging bottoms and top to bed to make her feel more comfortable.

Now she knew that they were both safe and happily sleeping, she turned back over and snuggled down to go back to sleep.

She wasn't sure how much later it was when she was woken by a pair of eyes staring at her. Blinking awake she looked at the young girl stood at the side of the bed.

"_Mel. You scared me. What's wrong?"_ Skye kept her voice down to avoid waking the sleeping boys beside her.

"_I had a nightmare."_

"_Oh Sweetie, come here."_ Skye gathered the shaking girl in her arms and lifted her into the bed beside her. Mel cuddled into her arms and settled against her. Skye was just getting ready to go back to sleep once she had felt Mel's breathing become more regular when the bedroom door opened. Two people wandered into the bedroom and moved to the side of the bed.

"_Mummy, we can't sleep," _muttered Leo, rubbing his eyes.

'Oh well,' thought Skye. 'We might as well have everyone in the bed.'

Picking up Mel, she moved closer to Ward before lifting the bedclothes so the other two could get in.

"_Come on, get in."_

She felt the bed dip as they both climbed in, cuddling up to Mel. Skye reached over so she could put an arm around them all. She jumped slightly when she heard a voice whisper in her ear,

"_Then there were six in the bed."_

"_If you add then the little one said roll over I will smack you," _she replied, grinning.

Jemma clearly overhead Ward's whisper as she spoke up.

"_Daddy cuddle too?"_

The only way he could do that was to move closer to Skye and move Phil. She was startled to feel him move beside her. He lifted Phil and placed him beside Mel. Moving closer to Skye he lay beside her before reaching his arm across them to cuddle the kids.

"_Just don't squish your brother."_ He warned.

There wasn't much room in the bed with all of them. Skye was feeling squashed, she couldn't move forward anywhere and she didn't want to move closer to Ward in case she made him feel uncomfortable. As if he sensed her thoughts he moved and gently pulled her back so she was resting against him. She was actually cuddling with Ward! He was actually a good cuddler. She relaxed against him as the children slept beside her.

* * *

So the last chapter was quite short so I thought I'd write another one. If there is anything you want the kids to do or Skye and Ward let me know. Thank you for all your reviews and comments


	7. Chapter 7

Skye was busy trying to fit the baby seat into the car when she heard the person approaching. Turning she saw a lady with blonde hair standing behind her. She recognised her as the neighbour from the house next to theirs. Skye hadn't had chance to meet her yet so didn't know her name.

"_Hi. I'm Clare. I see you've just moved in."_

"_Hi. I'm Skye. Yeah, my family have just arrived." _Skye brushed her hands down her jeans before shaking Clare's hand. Although her and Ward had agreed that they would pretend to be married, they hadn't agreed anything about names. They had both been calling each other their actual names so they would have to stick with them. Beside, the kids had heard them use their names: using different ones would just confuse them or lead to awkward questions later.

"_I just wanted to introduce myself. I would have come over earlier, but I know how hectic it is when you move. Especially with children."_

"_Yeah, it has been a little bit mad." _Skye watched as Ward left the house carrying Phil with the rest just in front of him.

"_Oh this is my husband, Grant. Grant, this is Clare, she lives next door."_

"_Nice to meet you." _Replied Ward, juggling Phil so he could shake her hand. Leo and Jemma were stood clinging to his legs while Mel went and stood beside Skye. Apparently they were scared of strangers.

"_And you. Are these all your kids?"_

Skye was aware of Clare looking at the kids trying to work out ages of everyone.

"_Yeah we got a start early on. We were childhood sweethearts." _Skye lied, hoping it was believable.

"_Aww, that is adorable. Well, if you want them to meet some of the kids in the area, just let me know. My two are a similar age to your eldest. I know it's hard for them to make friends when they move to a new area."_

"_Thanks for that. We wanted to get them settled before we introduced them to someone new."_

"_Not a problem. Anyway, I can see you are off somewhere, so I'll leave you to it."_

Skye turned her attention back to the kids and began the task of strapping them in to the car. Phil was relatively easy, as he was quickly restrained in the car seat. The others were more difficult. Jemma and Leo were fighting again so didn't want to sit together. Mel didn't want to wear her seatbelt or sit next to Phil. In the end Skye resorted to threatening not to go out at all to get everyone strapped in. Eventually they were all ready to set off. Ward was once again driving because he didn't like her driving. That was fine with Skye; it meant she chose the music. When played at a certain level she could ignore the fighting in the back. Thankfully it was a short journey.

The fighting stopped suddenly when the kids saw where they were going.

"_Bowling? We're going bowling?"_ Squeaked Leo.

"_Yes, if you can behave."_ Answered Ward, manoeuvring the car into a parking space.

"_Yes, dad." _ Came the reply from everyone in the back, causing Skye to smile.

They quickly gathered the kids, with Ward taking Phil and keeping a hold of Jemma's hand to stop her running off, while Skye kept a hold of Leo and Mel. They got one lane and proceeded to play. Skye and Ward took it in turns to hold Phil while the other bowled. At one point they even set it up so he could bowl the ball and knock down some pins. Whenever Skye wasn't bowling she had Mel sat on her lap. Leo seemed to take great delight in sitting on Ward whenever he wasn't bowling, while Jemma sat in the middle of the floor, blocking everybody, but she was happy. The kids quickly became very competitive with each other, all wanting to win. Skye and Ward watched with fondness while planning their moves with care. They had a bet resting on the winner between them. The winner got to have 4 hours to themselves the next day while the other coped with the kids. Ward was currently winning, but Skye wasn't far behind.

While they were playing they ordered food, deciding to make a complete day of it. Leo and Mel shared a pizza while Jemma shared chips with Phil. Skye and Ward went for a burger, though a lot of it seemed to be eaten by the kids as they decided they liked it better than their own food. Phil and Leo ended up with food all over their clothes not matter how hard the adults tried to keep them clean. The game ended with Jemma being the surprise winner of the kids and Skye the winner of the adults. She took great delight in teasing Ward about it.

None of them wanted to head back to the house after the game so they stayed in the bowling area but moved to the arcade section. Phil had a great time riding in a car that looked a lot like Lola. Skye took a lot of pictures of him grinning and waving at her on the ride. Mel and Leo were having a dance battle, while Ward was on a driving game with Jemma sat in his lap. She was in charge of the steering while Ward handled the pedals. Skye wasn't sure who was having more fun. Both were sat giggling as Jemma repeatedly hit every obstacle that she possibly could.

After another couple of hours they headed back home, this time without the battle to get everyone in the car. Once back, Skye put on the Emperor's New Groove for them to watch, knowing that they would all enjoy it. Seeing that Ward had never seen it before either, she convinced him to sit and watch the film with the children while she cleaned the house. Glancing back into the living room on her way to the kitchen she saw Ward sat with Jemma and Mel cuddled under each arm and Leo lying across the laps of all of them. Phil was lying on Ward's feet and they were all staring at the screen engrossed. She knew they would like the film. It was a good ending to a fantastic day.

* * *

Ward woke with a start, his breathing rapid. He was covered in sweat. Glancing around he quickly recognised where he was. Skye was lying next to him still fast asleep. It was just a nightmare, even if it had seemed so real. He needed to check on everybody. To ensure himself that everything was all right. Creeping out of the bed so not to wake Skye, he moved over to the cot where Phil was sleeping peacefully. He was lying on his back with one hand clutching his blanket.

Satisfied that he was all right, he moved into Leo's room. He was still asleep with one hand falling out of the bed clinging to a model he had built on the floor. Ward would guess he had been adding to it before he went to sleep. He then moved on to the girls' room. Both were also sleeping happily although Jemma was no longer in her own bed but in Mel's. They were curled together with Mel holding the younger girl close to her. Ward stood for a moment enjoying the peace that watching the girls gave him.

Once he had calmed down he snuck back into the room to try and sleep again. Even though he was certain he had made no noise Skye clearly heard him.

"_Ward, is everything ok?"_

"_Yes, go back to sleep."_

"_You were gone a while. Has something happened?"_

"_I went to check on the kids. But no. Nothing is wrong."_

He felt her move towards him and gently put her hand on his arm. With a sigh he began to explain.

"_I had a nightmare. I saw the team being killed. I woke up but it still felt so real. I went to convince myself it wasn't."_

He could feel himself begin to shake and knew she would be able to feel it too. She pulled him to her, trying to comfort him.

"_Oh, Grant."_

"_I thought if I checked on everyone I could make the images go away."_

"_Did it work?"_

"_Sort of."_

"_Lie down."_

"_What?"_

"_Lie down." _She manoeuvred herself so she was lying back down in the bed with him in her arms.

"_Go back to sleep. I'll be here. Then you'll know you're not alone. What you see isn't real. I'll be here and you'll know that. Will that help?"_

He nodded, not knowing how to voice his feelings. He concentrated on her breathing using it as an anchor to reality. He felt himself relax.

"_Skye."_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Thank you."_

"_Anytime Grant. Anytime." _

* * *

Ok hope you liked this. Something very fluffy after the final. I thought we all needed that. For those asking the will be some skyeward parts in the future I just wanted to build it up slowly. Thanks again to Amaya for reading this and correcting my mistakes


	8. Chapter 8

It started simply enough. Phil had a slight temperature and was very clingy that night. Ward hadn't worried too much; Mel had been a bit sniffy the whole day so he just assumed that she had caught a cold and passed it on to Phil. He'd done what he could to make the toddler more comfortable, eventually getting him to sleep. He hadn't thought much more about it, being totally exhausted from running around after the kids all day. He had fallen into bed gratefully, hoping he would get a full night of sleep.

The first thing that gave him a clue that something was wrong was the absence of Skye in the bed when he woke. He always woke before her, a habit ingrained since the academy. He knew that she liked to lie in, and normally he tried not to wake her when he got up so she could sleep while the kids were still asleep.

The second clue was the wailing that was coming from the cot at the end of the bed. Phil had clearly woken up. Normally he would lie quietly just looking around until somebody picked him up. This morning he was crying, rolling around in the cot. Moving to comfort him, Ward noticed that he was rubbing his skin in an agitated manner. His skin was covered in angry looking red spots, which were getting worse every time he rubbed them. Ward quickly removed his pyjamas and found that the spots were covering his whole body. He had chickenpox. No wonder the poor guy was crying.

Lifting him from the cot he quickly moved into the bathroom where he knew they kept some calamine lotion, which would hopefully soothe Phil's skin. Having covered both Phil and himself in the lotion, he headed out of the bedroom. Phil was still trying to scratch his skin, so he needed to find something to put over his hands. A noise from down the corridor had him diverting his direction to the main bathroom in the house.

The smell hit him before he walked through the door. Leo and Jemma were sat beside the bath, cuddled together shivering. Mel was leaning over the toilet, throwing up, sheen of sweat covering her brow. All of them looked complete miserable and were covered in red spots.

"_Chickenpox." _Ward commented to Skye, who was sat on the edge of the bath holding back Mel's hair while simultaneously trying to look after the other two. Skye simply nodded back at him. Ward moved over to the other two and saw that they weren't seriously ill just running a fever.

"_Come on you two. Let's get you out of here and tucked up. You'll soon feel better."_

Still carrying Phil, he quickly got both of them covered in lotion to soothe their skin, before tucking them both up in Jemma's bed. He remembered when he had chickenpox when he was little; all he wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep. He saw that Jemma and Leo were the same. He quickly got them to eat some soup and left them watching Robin Hood on the TV. While doing this Phil had fallen asleep in his arms, so he went and laid him back in his cot. With him sleeping peacefully, Ward was able to grab the thermometer from his bathroom. He was concerned about the temperature of both Leo and Phil. Both had a slight temperature and would need an eye kept on them. Jemma was fine apart from being itchy and shivery: she was happily singing along to the movie.

Mel was still feeling sick and refusing to move from beside the toilet, but didn't have a temperature. Ward quickly assured Skye he had the rest under control, leaving her to look after Mel. She was trying to convince the girl to remove her death grip on the toilet and go and lie in her bed but was having little luck. Leaving her, Ward went back to check on the other two, finding Leo looking paler than when he had left him. He was shivering more than before but when Ward took his temperature it had risen. Almost to dangerous levels. Lifting the limp boy out of the bed he carried him into his bedroom, heading for the en-suite as Mel was still in the other bathroom. Phil was once again crying and was covered in sweat. Deciding it was better to be careful, as his temperature was also high, Ward grabbed him and headed for the shower.

He set the shower to lukewarm before carrying both boys into it. He quickly found the easiest way to keep both of them under the water was to sit on the floor with Leo on his lap holding Phil. Neither liked being under the water but both slowly began to cool down. He was just breathing a sigh of relief when he heard shouting.

"_Daddy!"_

"_I'm in the bathroom."_

He heard running feet before Mel burst into the room.

"_Mummy collapsed." _She cried.

Ward jumped up.

"_Stay with the boys."_ He ordered as he rushed from the room, not caring that he was dripping water everywhere.

He burst into the other bathroom to find Skye slumped on the floor. Her skin was hot to touch, but his careful examination revealed she hadn't bumped her head. He carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom where she would be more comfortable and he could get a better look at her. Her skin had lost its usual glow, her breathing coming in small gasps. He had a slight debate with himself before removing her top. An angry red rash covered her shoulders and arms. She also had chickenpox, but it seemed to be a more severe reaction than the children.

Noticing he was soaking her he quickly stripped off his shirt and grabbed his phone. As he turned back to the bed he noticed a worried face watching him from the bathroom. He tried to smile reassuringly at Mel but wasn't convinced he managed it. Hitting speed dial he was relieved when it was answered quickly.

"_Need you here. Chickenpox. Skye's poorly. Difficulty breathing. Come quick."_

He heard confirmation on the other end of the phone before hanging up. Help was on its way, that was all that kept him from completely panicking.

* * *

Bruce arrived quickly after Ward's phone call bringing with him some medical supplies and some help in the form of Maria Hill.

"_Where is she?"_ asked Bruce, noticing the frantic look on Ward's face.

"_Bedroom."_

Bruce quickly headed upstairs to see his patient leaving Maria to calm Ward down and check up on the children.

"_It will be okay, Ward. Now, let's look at the rest of the children."_

With Maria's help they quickly got all the children changed and stripped the beds so they were all able to sleep in clean beds. After the shower Leo and Phil's temperatures had dropped and they were now curled up on Leo's bed fast asleep. Mel had finally been convinced to leave the bathroom and was lying on her bed reading, with a bucket beside her in case she thought she was going to be sick again. Jemma was lying in her bed fast asleep cuddling her teddy bear.

With all the children looked after Maria quickly began to look after Ward. Upon hearing that he had yet to eat anything that day she sent him to sit in the living room while she made him toast and some soup. He managed to eat most of it before Bruce came back downstairs. Before he could ask anything Bruce spoke.

"_She is fine. I gave her some antibiotics and her breathing has returned to normal."_

Ward let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"_I thought she had chickenpox before."_

"_From her files it appears she had. She obviously just didn't build up immunity to it. That was why she had such a bad reaction. But as I said she will be fine. How are you feeling?"_

"_Me? I'm fine."_

"_You don't look fine. Why don't you go lie down for a bit? Maria and I will look after the children while you get some rest."_

He was about to object when Maria spoke.

"_You look like hell Ward. Do what the doctor said. Think of it as an order if it makes you feel better."_

Resigned, Ward nodded to both before slowly heading upstairs. Before heading into his room he checked on the children. They were all asleep with Mel having fallen asleep with her book on her face. Smiling he headed into the bedroom and found Skye sleeping peacefully as well, her breathing now normal.

Lying down facing her he watched as she breathed in and out, glad she was going to be ok. Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, making sure not to wake her.

"_You really scared me today Rookie. Please don't do that again. I don't think I could take it."_

* * *

I have never fallen asleep like Mel does in this, ahem. Poor Ward, Skye really gave him a shock. Next time the little family will get another visitor.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a long week. Skye had stayed in bed, under orders from Bruce, while she recovered from chickenpox. This had left Ward alone with the children. For the first couple of days he had been running around after all of them, as the children were still recovering as well. However, once they had got better he was left alone to try and entertain four children on his own. Having been stuck in bed for a few days they had more energy than ever, leaving Ward feeling completely drained. It didn't help that he was also checking on Skye every 5 minutes to make sure she was ok and didn't need anything. It had got to the point where Skye had ordered Mel to keep him from going into their bedroom, which she managed, quite successfully. Skye was grateful for his attention and care, but didn't want him to wear himself out trying to do too much. Bruce and Maria tried to help: both were busy during the day but they both came every night, giving Ward a break and reassuring him that Skye was recovering.

They also brought news of the investigation into what had happened to the team. Bruce and Tony were still having no luck finding a way to reverse what had happened. They had hoped that the footage of the bus would give some answers but apparently it had yet to yield more clues.

Maria brought news of what was happening at Shield, informing Ward of the latest developments as she unpacked whatever takeaway she had picked up for the night's tea. After they had all eaten Maria and Bruce would play with the kids for a while, giving Skye and Ward a welcome hour off. Ward normally retreated to the bedroom and caught up on reading, with Skye lying beside him surfing the web. Both had come to enjoy the time away from the kids just to themselves and the kids loved playing with the other adults and had begun to call them auntie and uncle, which Bruce and Maria loved.

One day Ward had woken up with such a headache that he couldn't cope with dealing with boisterous children. Skye was still under orders to stay in bed so she couldn't help look after them. Sighing Ward quickly made a plan. Gathering all the children he ushered them into his and Skye's bedroom.

"_We're having a pyjama day." _He announced.

Leo ran over to Phil and lifted him from the cot before jumping onto the bed. He had been very concerned since Phil had been poorly, spending a lot of his time sitting beside his cot reading to him. Skye was sat in the middle of the bed with the two girls sat in front of her. Ward quickly selected a DVD to watch before climbing back into bed. Propping himself up he took the coffee that Skye offered him, smiling as the boys reclined against his legs. Almost as if they had planned it all the kids were lying between him and Skye. Phil was practically lying on Leo and kept pulling Jemma's hair but she didn't seem to mind. Skye smiled at all the children and began eating her breakfast that Ward had brought her. He hadn't had chance to eat as Mel had moved so she was lying in his arms. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to move, Skye started feeding him being careful not to drop porridge on his shirt. She couldn't help but grin when it dribbled down his chin. He glared at her over Mel, but she simply smirked back at him and wiped it away.

The kids enjoyed watching Frozen, happily singing along with the songs. Skye even managed to catch Ward grinning and enjoying the film. She had being trying to convince him to watch it for a while but had yet to convince him. Maybe this was a way to get him to watch other things. She knew he would enjoy the film but he had objected saying it was a kid's film. Like that mattered. It was a good film no matter who it was made for.

As Ward couldn't be bothered to get out of bed after that, they continued watching DVD's the rest of the day. When Maria arrived and brought pizza for tea she found them all still in the bed. She couldn't help taking pictures with her phone before any of them noticed. She needed to show Bruce this later. Upon noticing her hovering in the doorway Skye beckoned her in. In order to fit Maria on the bed Skye moved so she was practically lying on Ward, which gave Maria enough room to sit where she had been lying. Jemma quickly moved onto Maria's lap and Leo moved into Skye's arms. Mel lay beside Ward's legs with propped up against her. The pizza was passed around with Ward now feeding Skye, as she couldn't move due to Leo. He seemed to be attempting to get it all around her face, much to her annoyance. At first she thought it was an accident but it kept happening and she knew he wasn't that uncoordinated. She glared at him but he simply brushed away the tomato sauce from the face.

"_Idiot." _She mouthed.

He just grinned mischievously at her. She didn't know what had caused this change in him, but she liked it. Maria stayed to watch the end of Bolt, which they had watched while eating tea. Skye loved the film but the end always made her cry. She couldn't help but cry at the end when Bolt stayed with Penny during the fire. She knew everything would be fine but it always made her sad. Tears started flowing down her cheek as it got to that part. A tender hand caressed away the tears. Turning she saw Ward looking at her, his hand drying her tears. Once he had caught all of them he pulled her so she was cuddled into him, her head resting on his chest.

For all they had all been poorly recently today had been a good day.

* * *

As Skye had finally been allowed to get out of bed and it was a beautiful day they decided to celebrate in the garden. Maria had snuck off from work; bring with her some folding chairs. It meant they could enjoy the beautiful weather and keep an eye on the kids. As she wasn't allowed to over exert herself Skye was sitting in the chair enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. It was made all the better knowing she wasn't going to have to put sun cream on any of the kids. That was Ward's job. Initially he had allowed the older ones to put it on themselves, but it quickly became apparent that they weren't doing a proper job of it. This had led to a 10 minute screaming match. Skye had no idea Mel hated her face being touched that much. Phil, who everyone expected to be the most difficult, had been a complete angel, quite happily allowing Ward to cover him in cream. He was now sat playing with Leo with some building blocks. Leo was trying to build some sort of structure, which Phil was trying to knock down. Both were giggling and it had turned into a competition between them. Mel and Jemma were doing handstands on the grass with Maria timing how long they could stay up for. Ward was sat beside Skye, alternatively reading his book and keeping an eye on the boys. That left Skye to just relax and sunbathe.

"_Hi again."_

Skye turned and saw Clare waving at her from across the drive.

"_I haven't seen you around for a little while."_

"_No. We had a case of chickenpox so everyone was kept in doors." _Explained Skye.

"_Ouch. Glad you all seem to be better now. Chickenpox is worst. Unfortunately, if one gets it they all do."_

"_Yeah, that happened with us."_

"_Auntie Maria! Did you see?" _Yelled Jemma.

"_Yes sweetie, I did. It was very good."_

"_Oh, Clare, this is Maria. She's… Grant's sister. Maria, this is Clare."_

Skye skin prickled as she felt Ward's gaze on her. They had to explain her appearance some how. Plus she looked more like Ward than Skye.

As both women were exchanging greetings a car pulled up at the side of the road. It immediately caught Skye's attention, as it was completely black, with tinted windows. Skye's instincts were screaming at her that this car could cause trouble. A sideways glance at Ward told her he thought the same. His posture had become more rigid, with his feet firmly planted on the floor. He looked like a coiled spring, ready to take on what ever danger was coming for them.

As the car door opened, Skye was plotting the best route to the children, knowing that Ward would meet whatever danger was coming and buy them a few crucial seconds to get the children safe. As the person stepped out the children all noticed a change in the adults and went quiet, sensing there was danger.

"_Grandpa!" _Yelled Phil, throwing himself across the yard.

That boy could move when he wanted to and he didn't stop till he was clinging to the black clad leg of Nick Fury. Fury who was currently looking down at Phil as if he was a foreign object that he didn't know what to do with.

"_Grandpa?"_ Clare puzzled.

"_Oh! He's my father. He adopted me when I was just little." _Skye supplied.

It was the first thing she could think of. She didn't exactly expect Phil to throw himself at Fury, never mind call him Grandpa. She more expected him to behave like the others, who were currently cowering behind Maria while she looked at Fury in horror. Clearly she hadn't told him she was coming here. She couldn't blame the kids; Fury gave off an aura of fear.

"_Grandpa!" _Insisted Phil, gripping onto Fury's leg tighter.

'Oh no.' Thought Skye. 'I recognise that face.'

As expected when Ward stepped forward to prise Phil from Fury's leg the toddler gripped tighter and began to cry.

"_Eh Sir. It might be easier if you just hug him." _Ward suggested tentatively.

"_Hug him?" _Fury seemed incredulous.

'Maybe he has never had a hug before.' Skye wondered. The thought made her incredibly sad. Everyone deserved to be hugged.

"_He calls your dad sir?" _Wondered Clare.

"_Oh it has something to do with being married to his baby girl. I think he threatened him." _Skye supplied.

Fury was going to kill her when he found out about that. At least the threatening part was believable. Fury threatened everybody he met by just standing there. Skye couldn't help the smile when one of the most feared men in the world bent down and gingerly put his arms around the crying toddler. A clicking noise made Skye turn. Maria was quickly putting her phone away in her pocket having snapped a picture of the scene before them. Seeing Skye looking at her she pressed her finger to her lips. Fury pulled back quickly and Ward swooped in and plucked Phil from Fury's leg.

"_Shall we move inside?" _Ward asked, looking at the women and kids.

* * *

"_Sir" _began Ward.

Fury simply held a finger up to silence him. Ward sat back in the chair and held onto a struggling Phil. He kept trying to escape Ward's grasp and head toward Fury. Ward didn't want to let him go, he wasn't sure what Fury would do. His face when he had to hug Phil had been bad enough.

"_I arrived at the base to find that my Deputy Director is missing. Not only that but she has kept disappearing for the past week!"_

"_Sir" _began Maria.

"_Not only that but my two best scientists are busy going gaga over these kids. When I sent them to you I meant for them to find a cure, not become babysitters."_

"_Grandpa," _wailed Phil.

"_Why does he keep saying that? I'm not his Grandpa!"_

"_Sir, he likes family. He calls me Dad, Skye, mum, and Maria, auntie. I think he just likes having a family. We allowed it as it helps our cover."_

"_Get him to stop calling me Grandpa."_

"_I'm not sure I can, sir."_

"_Never mind then. As you have commandeered my staff you might as well keep them. But if something urgent comes up I need them back. Understood?"_

"_Yes Sir."_

Ward lost his grip on Phil who immediately headed towards Fury. After a quick staring contest with the toddler, Fury sighed and picked him up, sitting him on his knee. Looking at his agents he warned.

"_Not a word about this!"_

"_No sir."_

* * *

Grandpa Fury! He he


	10. Chapter 10

The quiet was unnerving. The entire house was quiet, which Skye loved, but she was now used to the noise the children made. They were all down for naps at the moment, so Skye was busy tidying the house. She loved the kids but they were hard work. Both her and Ward took the opportunity when the kids were asleep to tidy and do the chores around the house. He was currently out shopping while she cleaned; they hadn't taken the kids shopping since the incident the last time. They were running out of food so shopping was necessary. For small beings the kids ate a hell of a lot of food. Plus Ward was beginning to get annoyed by all the takeaways they kept eating. The Robot was a health nut and the takeaways were beginning to cause his workings to break down. Skye couldn't really complain, she was getting fed up of takeaway as well. Plus Ward had volunteered to cook which he was fantastic at, _and_ he had promised to cook Skye's favourite dish, so it was win-win for her.

It was just going to be them for tea. Fury had banned Maria and Bruce from visiting; at least until some of the cases that had been piling up had been solved. When they were leaving Bruce had promised to send more help. Apparently some of the other Avengers had heard about what had happened to the team and wanted to come and visit. Hence why Skye was cleaning. Although this wasn't actually her house she didn't want people seeing it a mess. Plus it wasn't every day you have Avengers visiting the house. She knew that if Phil found out the house was a mess when he returned to his adult self, he would be so disappointed. Plus if she left the toys spread all over the house somebody was going to trip over one. It would probably be her; the Robot had good reflexes.

As she was tidying she heard a wheezing noise. Looking around concerned Skye couldn't find anything. She moved further into the dinning room where the noise appeared to be coming from. Bending down to look under the table Skye got a shock. Lying on her side hyperventilating was Jemma. She was curled into a ball and appeared to be crying.

"_Jemma, baby." _Skye crawled under the table slowly so as not to spook the young girl.

It looked like she was having a panic attack and Skye didn't want to make it worse, not knowing what had caused it. She had a few panic attacks before and knew that the simplest thing could make it worse.

"_Mummy." _Jemma cried, breaking Skye's heart. She sounded so scared.

"_I'm here, baby. You're ok."_

She pulled her into her arms, brushing Jemma's hair from her face. Jemma clung to Skye but her breathing began to slow down. Skye rocked her until she had calmed enough.

"_Baby, look at me. Can you tell me what caused this?"_

"_I was dreaming. I was with Leo but we were in this capsule underwater. We were trapped and couldn't escape. Water was pouring into it and we couldn't escape. Leo went under first and then…"_

"_Oh, baby."_

"_It seemed so real. Then I couldn't breathe."_

"_It's ok. You're safe; so is Leo."_

"_Why do I feel like this? I don't like it."_

"_It's your body reacting to the fear. It's normal, sweetie."_

"_I don't like it."_

"_I know, it's horrible. But you'll be ok."_

"_Can we see Leo?"_

"_Of course, baby."_

Skye crawled out from beneath the table and picked up Jemma. She quickly headed upstairs and crept into Leo's room. He was still asleep and was clutching a monkey toy. Jemma wriggled in Skye's arms to be put down and then climbed into bed with him. She curled around him and closed her eyes. Skye smiled down at her and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She stayed and watched the two sleep. She was worried that Jemma would have another attack. She knew that the older Jemma was scared of drowning and had dreams about it. She hadn't known it was as bad enough to give her panic attacks though. She had never felt so helpless as when she had seen her beneath the table.

Once she was sure Jemma was sleeping peacefully again she headed back downstairs. She was to caught up in her thoughts to continue tidying. She wasn't sure how long she had sat on the sofa before she heard Ward return.

"_Hey I'm back. I got the cereal you like… what happened? What's the matter?"_

Ward dropped the shopping and ran to her. Dropping to his knees before her, he grasped her arms and made her look at him.

"_Are the kids alright? Are you alright?"_ She could hear the panic in his voice.

She reached out and touched his face to calm him.

"_We're all fine."_

"_What happened?"_

"_It was Jemma, she had a panic attack. I just… I felt so helpless."_

He didn't reply but just gently pulled her into his arms.

"_I'm sure that you helped her."_

"_But what if that wasn't enough?"_

"_Did you stay with her while she had it?"_

"_Yes but..."_

"_Was she calmer once you left her?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Did she understand what had happened to her?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then how could you do anymore?"_

"_I just… I don't know."_

"_You did fantastically, I'm sure. You'll have given comfort when she needed it and explained what happened. What more could you have done?"_

"_Nothing, I guess."_

Skye leant into his embrace, enjoying the comfort only he could give. He placed a kiss on her forehead before speaking again.

"_Jemma will be fine, Skye. She has you looking out for her. How can she not be fine?"_

"_I think your wiring has come loose again Robot." _Skye joked to prevent herself crying.

"_Only with you. Only with you."_

* * *

So just a short chapter this time. Unfortunately exams have kept me busy. Next time will be a more fluffy chapter I promise.


	11. Chapter 11

Skye wasn't sure how long she sat with Ward. Even when at the orphanage she had never really thought about having children. She wasn't sure it was something she wanted. Looking after the team had opened her eyes and shown how difficult it was. She wasn't sure how single mums did it. She was so glad she had Ward; she knew he was as scared as she was but they supported each other and could help each other.

She knew she should let him go and unpack the shopping but she didn't want to let him go. He was opening up more and more. It was fantastic but terrifying. When he was her bossy SO she knew how to cope and how to push his buttons. But when he was interacting with the kids and loosening up she wasn't sure how to react. She loved it but was making her face her feelings about him. She wasn't quite prepared to face them yet. Too much had happened recently. Besides now wasn't the best time to look at them, maybe once everything had returned to normal then she could make a decision.

"_Thank you."_

"_Anytime Rookie."_

A noise from upstairs made her look up.

"_Kids are awake."_

"_I'll go. You stay here." _

She watched as he rose and headed towards the stairs, giving her a fantastic view of him. For a guy that was normally oblivious to how women looked at him he knew how to dress. His jeans clung to his body, giving an exceptional view of his butt. Working out gave him an admirable figure, though Skye normally only got to view his abs. His butt was just as good as them.

* * *

Ward headed upstairs to find out what his little monkeys were up to. He never thought he would think of the team as family, never mind have take care of them. He was concerned about Skye. It wasn't like her to loose it like that. Maybe they needed a break. He would ask the others to take care of the kids for a couple of hours later so he could take her somewhere she nice where she could relax. He knew she wouldn't want to leave the kids for a long period of time, and to be honest neither did he but both needed a break.

Putting that thought to one side for now he headed into the girls' room where the noise was coming from. Making sure he was treading lightly he snuck up to the room. He wanted to see what they were up to without them knowing he was there. May normally couldn't be snuck up upon, but as she was currently a child he might have a better chance. Reaching the door he peaked into the room, freezing at what he saw there.

Somebody had rescued Phil from his cot in their room as he was sat in the middle of the elder three. All the kids were holding pillows and were hitting each other with them while feathers flew around them. They were hitting each other, but he noticed they were being especially careful with Phil. It was a joy to watch them have so much fun. As adults they were always under so much pressure, it was lovely to see them so carefree.

"_Daddy!"_

Phil had noticed him standing at the door, grinning and waving him in delight. The look of shock and horror on the others' faces had Ward struggling to keep a straight face. There wasn't really much he could say at the moment. If he tried to say anything he would begin laughing. Feathers had settled in their hair and were covering the floor of the room. They must have gone through a few a pillows by the amount of feathers covering the surface.

They were all looking at Ward with anticipation waiting for his comments on what had happened. Before he could say anything he was hit from behind. As the kids giggled behind him he turned to find Skye running towards their bedroom. Oh so that was what she wanted to play. Chasing after her, his long legs giving him the advantage as he could cover more ground. He entered their room almost behind her but she was nowhere in sight. One of the pillows on the bed was conspicuously missing. Moving forward carefully his eyes scanning the room he grabbed a pillow. Now they were both armed. He was knocked off balance when he was once again hit from behind. She had hidden behind the door, the minx. Turning he quickly returned fire, but evidently she had been listening during training as she dodged the shot. He was quickly hampered in his movements as the children burst into the room giggling and latched themselves onto his legs. Skye just kept laughing as she hit him with the pillow. After a quick head shot followed by a blow to his body he knew that this was the end. Loosing his balance he fell backwards, landing on the bed.

"_Pile on!" _Order Skye with a smirk towards him.

The kids quickly obeyed her, with Mel sitting on his lap to stop him moving while the others clambered up onto the bed. Leo and Jemma both pinned his legs and, once Skye had lifted him onto the bed, Phil sat on his chest.

"_You are so going to pay for this!" _Ward threatened with a grin.

"_Sure, whatever you say dear." _Skye laughed.

* * *

"_Strange. They normally answer fairly quickly." _Commented Maria as she stood outside the house with Clint and Nat. "_I have a key so we can get in."_

Entering the house they found the downstairs completely empty and more worryingly the house silent. She watched as Clint and Nat react to this becoming more careful and alert. Moving upstairs she found the hallway covered in feathers. Following the trail into the main bedroom she paused at what she saw there before beckoning the two assassins to come and look.

On the bed asleep was the entire team. On one half of the bed all the kids were lying together using each other as pillows. On the other half lay Skye and Ward, Skye lying completely on top of him with his arms holding her close to him.

Slipping out and closing the door so they didn't wake them Clint spoke.

"_Cute. I now know why you wanted us to visit Maria. But I thought you said there wasn't anything going on between those two?"_

"_There wasn't until recently. If you ask them they'll deny it but I keep finding them cuddled up like that."_

"_It's cute." _He grinned suddenly.

"_Clint" _warned Nat, knowing that look.

"_What? You know undercover is one of the best times to play matchmaker. They are playing husband and wife. I'm not going to do anything serious. But I do wonder if they will admit to their feelings?"_

"_Oh God." _Commented Nat.

Maria just looked at him shaking her head. He did have a point. She was going to have to make sure she was around for this. Those two had been ignoring reality for a while and knowing Clint he would get the kids involved. This could end one of two ways.


	12. Chapter 12

They had been visited early on this morning. Apparently they had visitors last night but had missed them due to them being asleep. They were to stay for a little while then were free to do their own thing and enjoy a break from the children. To be fair, it wasn't too much of a hardship looking after the children but they needed some time apart. They had a quick discussion and agreed to spend the day together as neither had anything they particularly wanted to do. Skye had seen a film advertised which looked interesting, so they were going to watch that before having a meal together. It was only going to be an afternoon off but it would do them both good.

Maria couldn't stay for long so it was going to be up to Clint and Nat to keep the kids occupied. Ward wasn't sure what was going on but Clint had seemed way too eager for him and Skye to spend time together. There was a gleam in his eye as he listened to them discuss their plans for the day. At least he now was occupied, keeping him out of trouble. He was currently teaching Mel how to shoot with a toy bow and arrow. There was a lot of giggling going on. He hoped there was going to be a house to come back to. Mel was bad enough on her own without Clint's encouragement. Normally Nat would keep Clint in line however she was currently busy playing with Phil. She was throwing the little boy in the air, making him squeal in delight. Leo was sat beside her taking apart one of her weapons, though she had removed the dangerous parts first. Jemma was sat beside her feet playing with the chemical kit the assassins had brought as a present from Bruce. It was strange seeing two of the world's most deadly assassins so domesticated. But then he never thought he would be doing what he was now.

"_They seem to have everything in hand."_

Skye was stood beside him, keys in hand watching over her little family.

"_For now."_

"_I'm sure the kids won't be any trouble for them."_

"_It's not them I'm worried about!"_

"_They are Shield's best. What do you think will happen?"_

As she said this they watched as Clint passed Jemma a different chemical, causing an eruption of foam from the beaker, covering her and Nat. Ward looked at Skye sardonically causing her to wince.

"_Forget I said that."_

"_Ah ha. Come on. It's probably better if we go now. Then we'll not know what happens!"_

Turning back to the rest of the family he spoke, raising his voice slightly:

"_Ok, we're going now. Try to not get into too much trouble."_

"_I'm sure the kids will be fine, Ward."_ Nat replied over Phil's squeals.

"_I'm not talking to the kids!"_

Both assassins gave him mischievous smiles in response. Shaking his head he guided Skye to the door, muttering:

"_I don't want to know. I don't want to know."_

Turning he glared directly at the grinning assassins,

"_I want the house still standing when we get back."_

Clint simply nodded and watched him close the door. Once he had heard the car pulling away and it was safe to reveal his plan he turned to the kids.

"_So guys, who wants to help me plan a surprise for your mum and dad?"_

* * *

They came back to find the house in one piece which was an achievement. Though there were no lights on downstairs, which was suspicious, they weren't that the late and the kids should still be up. Both had enjoyed the afternoon, with Ward actually enjoying the film when he didn't expect too. The meal had given them a chance to talk, something that they never really had a chance to do before. They had spoken about their families and how they had now found a place in the world with the team. Neither of them had the greatest upbringing but the team had allowed them to know what a normal family was like. She had him laughing with stories of the mischief she had got up to in the orphanage with friends. In return he had told her stories of the academy, revealing he wasn't as straight laced as the others had believed. As nobody had believed he would do such things he could have possibly got away with murder.

Entering the house he was surprised to find a single candle sitting on the coffee table, giving off a gentle glow. Beside it sat a bottle of wine with two glasses and a note. Moving to the table he picked up the note.

**Might as well finish off the evening properly. Don't worry about the kids, they've been angels. Enjoy the wine. Clint. **

"_Grant?"_

He passed her the note and began opening the wine.

"_Might as well make the most of it."_

She grinned in reply, taking a seat on the sofa. Having poured them both a glass of wine, he moved to join her. The conversation that had flowed so easily before was now non-existent. Maybe it was the atmosphere. The single candlelight gave off a different feeling, highlighting only her features making everything else fade into darkness. It was beginning to get hard to swallow, the wine wasn't helping. Turning to face her more directly, he saw she was leaning closer into him as if to talk to him. Lean closer to her, he noticed her glance at his face before looking away again, making his breath hitch. They were now barely inches apart, enabling him to see the depth of the colour of her eyes, which he could get lost in. He could feel her own breath upon his skin, it was as ragged as his was.

"_Daddy!"_

He jumped as his lap was suddenly filled with the warm bodies of children as Mel and Leo dove into his lap. Skye was juggling wine glass and Jemma.

"_Sorry to interrupt but the children couldn't wait to see you." _Nat commented as she brought in a squirming Phil.

Ward ignored the implication of what she would be interrupting, though he could feel the flush up the back of his neck.

"_Daddy, we missed you." _Leo bounced on his lap.

"_We were going to leave you alone longer but we missed you. Did you miss us?"_

"_Of course Jemma."_

He smiled at the delight on the little girl's face but was careful not to look at Skye. He felt bad for lying to her but it would hurt her if he admitted that his thoughts had been completely taken by the woman he was with.

"_You should be in bed."_

"_But Daddy…"_

"_No buts. Come on. Mummy and I will put you to bed."_

"_Clint and I will leave you to it then. We can leave you in peace and then once you are done you can continue with whatever you were up to before we interrupted."_

He glared at her, hoping it would shut her up. Could she make the situation more awkward?!

* * *

A couple of days later he was lying in bed. He had managed to sleep longer than normal, so long that Skye had already left the room taking Phil with her. Thankfully it hadn't been awkward after that night but then they had been busy with the children. Keeping them occupied was a full time occupation. It was surprisingly quiet, even outside seemed to have been turned down. It was a Sunday so it wasn't really a surprise. He knew he should get up but it was nice just to lie and not do anything. Besides at some point an inquisitive child would come and seek him, cuddling up beside him. He had never done it with his family but had quickly found he liked it. It brightened up his morning and he wished it would happen every day.

The thundering steps told him he was getting company soon and more than one person. The door burst open with all of the children bounding into the room, each carrying something. Skye followed more sedately carrying both Phil and a tray containing breakfast items. He was about to jump up and help her when she nodded at him to keep him in bed. Placing Phil on the bed she quickly sat down beside him, putting the tray across his lap. Once everything was settled she nodded at the children. As one they spoke:

"_Happy Father's Day!"_

Wait? It was Father's day? They had got him presents?

"_Daddy. Daddy. Open, open." _

He took the present automatically, remembering when he had been in Leo's position. He had watched as his father tore up his card and thrown his present in the bin. He swore he would never be like him. Pulling Phil onto his lap, having moved the tray to one side for now, he cuddled Mel and Leo closer to his sides, with Jemma sat between Leo's legs. With the children adding comfortable warmth to him he proceeded to open his cards and presents. He had got a card from each of the kids. He opened each present with care and received socks and ties with No. 1 Dad on them. He also got a box of his favourite sweets and some new cufflinks.

"_Thank you. I love all of them."_

"_Mummy helped us pick them." _Piped up Mel.

"_Mummy has good taste." _

"_Love you Daddy." _Waved Phil.

It brought tears to his eyes. He now understood the absolute love of children.

"_I love you too. All of you."_

All the kids piled on to give him a hug. Looking over at Skye who was watching with fondness, he smiled and mouthed;

"_Thank you."_

He knew how much effort she had gone to. This was one of the best days of his life.

* * *

So people asked for a bit more Skyeward (insert evil laugh). Please don't kill me! Nat and Clint will be back later on, who could resist staying away from the family for too long.


End file.
